Sonia Mirza

Microsoft vs. Apple: Monopolist vs. Innovator

True Re: the Apple shopping experience in KoP - had to get an iPhone and was completely astonished by the willingness to help. Made me want to buy a Mac :)




On Mar 31 08:56 AM mollytjm wrote:

> it's not just that Apple consumers are better educated (though by
> % as a group, they are) or friendlier...hard to gauge that except
> that the staff in the Apple stores are VERY warm and friendly...and
> smart.
> But Apple always wrote very tight code making for fewer holes for
> the hacker to explore. probably because Microsoft had such a big
> platform to write for, all their programs are bloated and messy,
> even the ones that work very well. This makes it easier to hack.
>
>
> There is another difference...the attitude at Apple...they actually
> really like their customers and want to keep them happy.
> I've used the big King of Prussia Mall Apple store since it's first
> day and have never encountered a surly, crabby or arrogant staff
> person...not in sales or tech. Obviously there are no perfect people
> on the planet, so there must be some working for Apple... but as
> much as Apple was exclusive about it's OS, it has always been inclusive
> about it's customers and users. To Apple, if you use their products,
> there's no 'them and us'...it's just 'us'.
>
> It's hard to explain this, but you feel it. When my PC friend asked
> me to take her to the Apple store for her first iPod, she was so
> astonished at the level of service. When we left she said 'i LOVE
> it in there!'. Apple just knows how to do it better than anyone else
> which explains why they have the most profitable retail space per
> square foot in the country.
> Long APPL

Fast Money Recap - A Trader's Market (3/13/09)

"Pete Najarian comments it is a traders market, whether bullish or bearish."

Does this add any value? Reminds me of a rally I saw in Africa where someone asked which direction the cars would come from and received the response "I believe they will come from the left, or the right".

Freud, the Fed, and a Box of Chocolates

Since I have chocolate on the mind...what would be the lindt of automakers, anyone?

Freud, the Fed, and a Box of Chocolates

Nice hook. I saw chocolate in the title...

Fun article, valid points, except...with the analogy, there is no end (the kid will always want more chox...and this is cannot possibly continue ad infinitum - the interest rates falling)

Options Trader: Thursday Wrapup

Wow. That looks really painful! (RE: matador).

Hope for his sake he didn't end up like a friend of ours who got it from an African buffalo!

Apple, Google: Avoiding the Overvaluation Trap

I doubt the author was stating that GOOG or AAPL are overvalued right now. His point was rather that they 'may or may not be'...you decide. Just make sure to include all factors (fundamental+mkt changing innovation - ie factors not traditionally quantified/recognized in val calx) in your valuations rather than depending on 1 media celeb stating "it's a good co, own it" a la kramer.

What's Behind the Coming Market Crash?

Market crash - is that what they're calling it these days?

The fact that it's in the news means it's too late - the media is often the last one to verbalize/admit/relay any downturn - let alone this 'mkt crash'. If we all know it's a market crash - why hasn't it happened already? If we all believed it was, we would all simultaneously act accordingly and cause it to occur NOW...

Crash - I think not. Correction - perhaps.

Core Inflation Remains a Low 0.1%

Well said. And a manna reference too!

Factoid: Vuitton is increasing its prices throughout Europe (perhaps other continents too) in July 2007, and yet there will be no price increases for the USA im 2007. Perhaps they fear with the inflation being the way it is, fewer disposable $s will go to LV if there were to be a price increase, not that the luxury arena follows the regular rules of substitution but I found it interesting nevertheless.

Representative Frank On Financial Accounting Statement 140 - Loans

Depending on the outcome, we may see a lot of baths if the restating route is taken...

Tossing to the wind any acc treatment concerns could be very very costly - more so than actually taking the hit...

Agflation!

Q: Why is it that these people find it so irritating that someone dares to point it out?

A: Because it was obvious to begin with. And I quote you; "...what anyone that is not unconscious knows, we have had actual cost of living in excess of the reported CPI for many years".

There is enough noise out there without a pathological restatement of the obvious. Perhaps some of the "flakes" were hoping to drive this point home to instigate change.

Agflation!

"But other than all these items going up in price, there is no inflation."
LOL

Dude WTF does that mean - excuse my French. There is no inflation??? Man we wrote better theses than this when we were in 9th GRADE!!!

How the hell do you stay employed making this type of statement? Who takes you seriously?

Equally astonishing is the amount of stupidity - wonder why the editors let this pass?
As always, 0 + 0 = zeR0! = NO VALUE ADDED

Inflation Consensus?

"Inflation HAS been high, and it's likely to go lower as the economy decelerates"

Ok, Newton's 1st law of motion (yes, not exactly related but serves to illustrate the point):
a body at rest will remain at rest, or a body in motion will remain in motion unless ...

if inflation has been high and rising - why is it likely to go lower outta nowhere? Due to a decelerating economy? Is this the logical progression from your previous housing "overvalued houses will become a little less overvalued"...extended to...'and this will cause the whole entire economy to decelerate?'

Inflation itself wouldn't cause the economy to decelerate. What impetus are you NOT referring to, that would lead to a lower inflation rate?

Do you mean you also expect interest rates to increase in an attempt to counter the growth of M2, which would eventually lead to a deceleration?

I suppose if you're vague enough to throw such a non-linear, opinion, it's like hitting a dart board the size of an olympic pool with your eyes closed. Eventually you will be right - but "in the long run we are all dead".

*shakes head*

How the hell does someone like this get hired??? Is it a case of "not What you know but WHO you know?".


Dégueulasse!!!

Most Over/UnderValued U.S. Housing Markets

Having a nifty calc is not = being able to use it ;o)
I did have one of those, but I'm an xls junkie particularly for options
Although since I didnt even read the charts above (allegedly) I must just have gotten REAL lucky.

John was right about Captain Obvious' arrogance...
Makes you wonder what one has to be so proud of if one is a self professed stinky forecaster?

Gotta love that patronizing condescension

feel sorry for your clients, Captain.

Most Over/UnderValued U.S. Housing Markets

Right, are you assuming I did not look at the chart above because I am a girl?

Perhaps my question wasn't terribly clear - or rather what I was implying might not have come across. Frankly, looking at the info above, it didn't look like something to write home about - precisely as Paul mentioned below.

And have we controlled for inflation? Are we talking in REAL terms?

YOY price gain of 3% - still a gain, even if the magnitude is smaller than previously - and we were all expecting this - we knew the housing mkt was out of control.

Re: "The report also notes that price declines took place in about half of the 317 markets: "Declines were widely dispersed, though most highly concentrated in California, Florida, New York, New England, and the industrial Midwest."

And what of outliers that might skew the results? What are the results without these?

Re: "23% of homes were overvalued by 45%.

Today, 14% of homes for sale are still overvalued -- but by only 25%:"

So, number of homes overvalued falls by approx 40%
and the correction of about 44% in the overvaluation still does not impress me - so what?

Thanks for the response though - as condescending as it may have been.
I would never have thought to look at your charts (I mean GI/NC's charts) had you not guided my female brain to the right picture. I wonder how I managed to get an MBA in Finance and Accounting - and price options better than our class valedictorian...must have gotten lucky.

A Tale of 2 Inflation Rates

Hmm...too far :)

it probably applies to our mkt here too - not my area of expertise but interesting to note

oh fantastic comment about the inverse relationship bet. vitriol/comments vs rigor/analysis!